News: Monday, June 17th, 2024

Czech spy chief: Hiring foreigners to commit crimes new Russian tactic

Hiring citizens of other states to carry out crimes is a new Russian tactic, the head of the Czech counterintelligence service, known by the acronym BIS, said on Monday. In an interview with the news site Hlidacipes.org, Michal Koudelka gave the example of the Colombian man recently caught trying to set buses on fire at a Prague depot.

Mr. Koudelka said the attacker in such cases did not even need to know they were working for Moscow.

Last week Prime Minister Petr Fiala said it was highly likely that the Kremlin was behind the attempted attack on the Prague depot. Similar incidents have been reported in other European countries.

Nine Czech soldiers injured in military training area explosion

An ammunitions explosion at a military training area at Libavá in the Olomouc Region on Monday morning left nine soldiers injured, the Czech Army said on social media.

The army described the accident as “serious”. Two of the injured were taken away by rescue helicopter and four were transported to the Olomouc Military Hospital. The matter is being investigated by the Military Police.

President Pavel welcomes outcome of peace summit on Ukraine

Czech President Petr Pavel has welcomed the outcome of the peace summit on Ukraine held in Switzerland over the weekend, saying that the expectations that it would bring at least some progress towards peace had been fulfilled. He said it was vitally important that an overwhelming number of countries had expressed support for the UN charter, Ukraine’s right of self-defense and the need to preserve the country’s territorial integrity. The fact that some of the participating states did not sign the joint final declaration does not automatically mean that they are in opposition, Mr. Pavel said. He described the summit as a first step on the road to peace, and stressed the importance of getting China on board as negotiations continue.

The two-day summit ended with a joint declaration stating that the territorial integrity of Ukraine must be the basis for any future peace agreement. It further called for the release of war prisoners and the return of all deported and displaced Ukrainian children, and the need to safeguard the nuclear installations in the country.

Czech archaeologists discover likely longest prehistoric mound in Europe

Czech archaeologists in the Hradec Králové area in East Bohemia have discovered what is probably the longest prehistoric mound in Europe, the Czech News Agency reported on Monday.

The mound, which was found along the route of a future motorway near the village of Dohalice, is about 190 metres in length and has a maximum width of 15 metres.

The structure is believed to come from around the fourth century BC, dating from what is known as the Funnelbeaker culture.

Space arena of intense competition but may help find climate solutions, says Lipavský

The Czech minister of foreign affairs, Jan Lipavský, says that space is becoming an arena of intense competition but that space capabilities may also help find solutions to challenges such as the climate crisis. Mr. Lipavský made the comment at the opening of the 7th Space Security Conference in Prague on Monday.

The Czech diplomatic chief also told delegates that new fields for international scientific and industrial cooperation were emerging in the sector.

He said it would be necessary to forge partnerships with new and non-traditional partners in the space field, with the West facing competition from authoritarian regimes for such potential allies.

Several Czechs still in hospital after Iceland bus crash

Around 10 Czechs injured in a bus accident in Iceland remained in hospital on Monday morning, three days after the incident, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Twelve people were hurt in the crash and five ended up in intensive care with serious injuries.

There were 20 passengers on board the bus when it crashed in Öxnadalur, in the northern part of Iceland, on Friday night. A number of them have already returned to Czechia.

All bus stops in Prague to become “request stops”

As of June 29 of this year, all bus stops within the Prague municipality will be so-called “request stops” the Prague Integrated Transport Company announced on its website. As of that date passengers wishing to get off the bus will have to press the red STOP button ahead of the respective bus stop. If they are waiting at the bus stop they do not need to wave or otherwise signal, the driver will stop automatically. The aim of the measure is to shorten intervals, reduce noise and save fuel.

Poborský: Ronaldo start would benefit Czechs at Euros

Former Czech footballer Karel Poborský says he hopes superstar Cristiano Ronaldo starts for Portugal against Czechia at Euro 2024 on Tuesday. Poborský told the Czech News Agency on Monday that the fact Ronaldo is now 39 meant he had some shortcomings to his game.

The Czechs beat Portugal through a goal by Poborský at Euro 96.

The two nations meet in what is for both their opening game at the current European Championships on Tuesday evening in Leipzig.

Weather forecast

It should be mainly overcast in Czechia on Tuesday, with an average high temperature of 27 degrees Celsius. Similar temperatures are expected on the following days.